The Untold Story of Washington's Surprise Attack: The Daring Crossing of the Delaware River

By Danny Kravitz

General George Washington's crossing of the Delaware River lives on in a famous painting, but the unforgettable true story of that night is unfamiliar to many people. Washington's daring act boosted sagging morale, shocked the British, and convinced potential allies such as France that the Americans meant business.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Capstone Young Readers
• Release date: Dec 21, 2015
• ISBN: 9780756554750

Book preview

CHAPTER One

Victory or Death

It is Christmas night 1776. Wind and freezing rain pelt the shores of the Delaware River. General George Washington stands on the Pennsylvania side of the river looking across at New Jersey. Behind him 2,400 frightened but determined American soldiers prepare for whatever awaits them. Washington’s trusted commanders—Henry Knox, Nathanael Greene, John Sullivan, and John Glover—stand at his side.

On the other side of the Delaware and about 9 miles (14.5 kilometers) to the southeast, a group of fearsome Hessian soldiers are camped at Trenton, ready to fight for the British. Washington must mount his attack against the Hessians before daybreak. Although the freezing rain and sleet fall harder, he will not allow his troops to turn back.

As the men prepare to cross the river, they load their horses and cannons onto large ferryboats. While the soldiers cross the river, chunks of ice, surging waters, and blustery winds slow their progress. Knox shouts through the raging gales as the weary soldiers strain to hear his orders.

Victory or death is the phrase they are all thinking. It’s a phrase that carries more truth than any other uttered that day, for if they fail they will surely die as will the fight for American independence.

As Washington and his men row toward the New Jersey shore, the snow blows so wildly that they can barely see. While the crew struggles to paddle across the icy river, Washington scans the horizon looking for the shore. At the moment there is nothing he can do but wait.

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Emanuel Leutze’s famous painting Washington Crossing the Delaware shows the men struggling to break through the ice as they cross to the New Jersey side of the river.

Turmoil in the Colonies

In the late 1760s the American Colonies were still part of the British Empire. But the Americans were unhappy with how they were being treated under British rule. In particular they believed that the taxes being forced upon them without their consent were unfair. They demonstrated their unhappiness with protests and acts of defiance.

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Tensions between the American colonists and the British turned to violence on the night of the Boston Massacre.

England’s King George III sent troops to Boston in October 1768 to stop the protests and protect the tax collectors. But the presence of British troops only fueled the anger of the colonists. Their resentment boiled over on the night of March 5, 1770, with an incident known as the Boston Massacre. During a protest British soldiers shot 11 Americans and killed five when an argument broke out between the two groups.

More protests soon followed, including the Boston Tea Party on December 16, 1773. By 1774 the flames of the American Revolution began to grow higher. That September representatives from 12 of the 13 colonies (Georgia